Woe to Evildoers

Woe to those who devise iniquity,
And [a]work out evil on their beds!
At (A)morning light they practice it,
Because it is in the power of their hand.
They (B)covet fields and take them by violence,
Also houses, and seize them.
So they oppress a man and his house,
A man and his inheritance.

Therefore thus says the Lord:

“Behold, against this (C)family I am devising (D)disaster,
From which you cannot remove your necks;
Nor shall you walk haughtily,
For this is an evil time.
In that day one shall take up a proverb against you,
And (E)lament with a bitter lamentation, saying:
‘We are utterly destroyed!
He has changed the [b]heritage of my people;
How He has removed it from me!
To [c]a turncoat He has divided our fields.’ ”

Therefore you will have no [d]one to determine boundaries by lot
In the assembly of the Lord.

Lying Prophets

“Do not prattle,” you say to those who [e]prophesy.
So they shall not prophesy [f]to you;
[g]They shall not return insult for insult.
You who are named the house of Jacob:
“Is the Spirit of the Lord restricted?
Are these His doings?
Do not My words do good
To him who walks uprightly?

“Lately My people have risen up as an enemy—
You pull off the robe with the garment
From those who trust you, as they pass by,
Like men returned from war.
The women of My people you cast out
From their pleasant houses;
From their children
You have taken away My glory forever.

10 “Arise and depart,
For this is not your (F)rest;
Because it is (G)defiled, it shall destroy,
Yes, with utter destruction.
11 If a man should walk in a false spirit
And speak a lie, saying,
‘I will [h]prophesy to you [i]of wine and drink,’
Even he would be the (H)prattler of this people.

Israel Restored

12 “I(I) will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob,
I will surely gather the remnant of Israel;
I will put them together (J)like sheep of [j]the fold,
Like a flock in the midst of their pasture;
(K)They shall make a loud noise because of so many people.
13 The one who breaks open will come up before them;
They will break out,
Pass through the gate,
And go out by it;
(L)Their king will pass before them,
(M)With the Lord at their head.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 2:1 Plan
  2. Micah 2:4 Lit. portion
  3. Micah 2:4 Lit. one turning back, an apostate
  4. Micah 2:5 Lit. one casting a surveyor’s line
  5. Micah 2:6 Or preach, lit. drip words
  6. Micah 2:6 Lit. to these
  7. Micah 2:6 Vg. He shall not take shame
  8. Micah 2:11 Or preach, lit. drip
  9. Micah 2:11 concerning
  10. Micah 2:12 Heb. Bozrah

Human Plans and God’s Plans

Woe to those who plan iniquity,
    to those who plot evil(A) on their beds!(B)
At morning’s light they carry it out
    because it is in their power to do it.
They covet fields(C) and seize them,(D)
    and houses, and take them.
They defraud(E) people of their homes,
    they rob them of their inheritance.(F)

Therefore, the Lord says:

“I am planning disaster(G) against this people,
    from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,(H)
    for it will be a time of calamity.
In that day people will ridicule you;
    they will taunt you with this mournful song:
‘We are utterly ruined;(I)
    my people’s possession is divided up.(J)
He takes it from me!
    He assigns our fields to traitors.’”

Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the Lord
    to divide the land(K) by lot.(L)

False Prophets

“Do not prophesy,” their prophets say.
    “Do not prophesy about these things;
    disgrace(M) will not overtake us.(N)
You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,
    “Does the Lord become[a] impatient?
    Does he do such things?”

“Do not my words do good(O)
    to the one whose ways are upright?(P)
Lately my people have risen up
    like an enemy.
You strip off the rich robe
    from those who pass by without a care,
    like men returning from battle.
You drive the women of my people
    from their pleasant homes.(Q)
You take away my blessing
    from their children forever.
10 Get up, go away!
    For this is not your resting place,(R)
because it is defiled,(S)
    it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
11 If a liar and deceiver(T) comes and says,
    ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’(U)
    that would be just the prophet for this people!(V)

Deliverance Promised

12 “I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;
    I will surely bring together the remnant(W) of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
    like a flock in its pasture;
    the place will throng with people.(X)
13 The One who breaks open the way will go up before(Y) them;
    they will break through the gate(Z) and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
    the Lord at their head.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 2:7 Or Is the Spirit of the Lord

The Cost of Discipleship(A)

18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 (B)Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”

20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

21 (C)Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, (D)let me first go and bury my father.”

22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Wind and Wave Obey Jesus(E)

23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 (F)And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then (G)He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, [a]“Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Two Demon-Possessed Men Healed(H)

28 (I)When He had come to the other side, to the country of the [b]Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, [c]permit us to go away into the herd of swine.”

32 And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.

33 Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, (J)they begged Him to depart from their region.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 8:27 Lit. What sort of man is this
  2. Matthew 8:28 NU Gadarenes
  3. Matthew 8:31 NU send us into

The Cost of Following Jesus(A)

18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.(B) 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man(C) has no place to lay his head.”

21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me,(D) and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms the Storm(E)(F)

23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26 He replied, “You of little faith,(G) why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.(H)

27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Jesus Restores Two Demon-Possessed Men(I)

28 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes,[a] two demon-possessed(J) men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29 “What do you want with us,(K) Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”(L)

30 Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

32 He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. 33 Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.(M)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 8:28 Some manuscripts Gergesenes; other manuscripts Gerasenes

Wicked Rulers and Prophets

And I said:

“Hear now, O heads of Jacob,
And you (A)rulers of the house of Israel:
(B)Is it not for you to know justice?
You who hate good and love evil;
Who strip the skin from [a]My people,
And the flesh from their bones;
Who also (C)eat the flesh of My people,
Flay their skin from them,
Break their bones,
And chop them in pieces
Like meat for the pot,
(D)Like flesh in the caldron.”

Then (E)they will cry to the Lord,
But He will not hear them;
He will even hide His face from them at that time,
Because they have been evil in their deeds.

Thus says the Lord (F)concerning the prophets
Who make my people stray;
Who chant [b]“Peace”
[c]While they (G)chew with their teeth,
But who prepare war against him
(H)Who puts nothing into their mouths:
“Therefore(I) you shall have night without [d]vision,
And you shall have darkness without divination;
The sun shall go down on the prophets,
And the day shall be dark for (J)them.
So the seers shall be ashamed,
And the diviners abashed;
Indeed they shall all cover their lips;
(K)For there is no answer from God.”

But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord,
And of justice and might,
(L)To declare to Jacob his transgression
And to Israel his sin.
Now hear this,
You heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who abhor justice
And [e]pervert all equity,
10 (M)Who build up Zion with (N)bloodshed
And Jerusalem with iniquity:
11 (O)Her heads judge for a bribe,
(P)Her priests teach for pay,
And her prophets divine for [f]money.
(Q)Yet they lean on the Lord, and say,
“Is not the Lord among us?
No harm can come upon us.”
12 Therefore because of you
Zion shall be (R)plowed like a field,
(S)Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins,
And (T)the mountain of the [g]temple
Like the bare hills of the forest.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 3:2 Lit. them
  2. Micah 3:5 All is well
  3. Micah 3:5 For those who feed them
  4. Micah 3:6 Prophetic revelation
  5. Micah 3:9 Lit. twist
  6. Micah 3:11 Lit. silver
  7. Micah 3:12 Lit. house

Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders(A) of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
    you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
    and the flesh from their bones;(B)
who eat my people’s flesh,(C)
    strip off their skin
    and break their bones in pieces;(D)
who chop(E) them up like meat for the pan,
    like flesh for the pot?(F)

Then they will cry out to the Lord,
    but he will not answer them.(G)
At that time he will hide his face(H) from them
    because of the evil they have done.(I)

This is what the Lord says:

“As for the prophets
    who lead my people astray,(J)
they proclaim ‘peace’(K)
    if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
    who refuses to feed them.
Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
    and darkness, without divination.(L)
The sun will set for the prophets,(M)
    and the day will go dark for them.(N)
The seers will be ashamed(O)
    and the diviners disgraced.(P)
They will all cover(Q) their faces(R)
    because there is no answer from God.(S)
But as for me, I am filled with power,
    with the Spirit of the Lord,
    and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
    to Israel his sin.(T)

Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
    and distort all that is right;(U)
10 who build(V) Zion with bloodshed,(W)
    and Jerusalem with wickedness.(X)
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,(Y)
    her priests teach for a price,(Z)
    and her prophets tell fortunes for money.(AA)
Yet they look(AB) for the Lord’s support and say,
    “Is not the Lord among us?
    No disaster will come upon us.”(AC)
12 Therefore because of you,
    Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,(AD)
    the temple(AE) hill a mound overgrown with thickets.(AF)

Pray for Us

Finally, brethren, (A)pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and (B)that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; (C)for not all have faith.

But (D)the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and (E)guard you from the evil one. And (F)we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.

Now may (G)the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

Warning Against Idleness

But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, (H)that you withdraw (I)from every brother who walks (J)disorderly and not according to the tradition which [a]he received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; nor did we eat anyone’s bread [b]free of charge, but worked with (K)labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have (L)authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.

10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are (M)busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and [c]exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ (N)that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

13 But as for you, brethren, (O)do not grow weary in doing good. 14 And if anyone does not obey our word in this [d]epistle, note that person and (P)do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 (Q)Yet do not count him as an enemy, (R)but [e]admonish him as a brother.

Benediction

16 Now may (S)the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.

17 (T)The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every [f]epistle; so I write.

18 (U)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Request for Prayer

As for other matters, brothers and sisters,(A) pray for us(B) that the message of the Lord(C) may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.(D) And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people,(E) for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful,(F) and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.(G) We have confidence(H) in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts(I) into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

Warning Against Idleness

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,(J) we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from(K) every believer who is idle and disruptive(L) and does not live according to the teaching[a] you received from us.(M) For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example.(N) We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked(O) night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help,(P) but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.(Q) 10 For even when we were with you,(R) we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work(S) shall not eat.”

11 We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies.(T) 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ(U) to settle down and earn the food they eat.(V) 13 And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.(W)

14 Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them,(X) in order that they may feel ashamed.(Y) 15 Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer.(Z)

Final Greetings

16 Now may the Lord of peace(AA) himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.(AB)

17 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand,(AC) which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write.

18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.(AD)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Thessalonians 3:6 Or tradition